MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'intervention'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:55:38 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182329&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Faging-and-addiction%2F Addiction among older adults is a hidden and hushed problem. Signs and symptoms of alcohol or medication abuse can easily be mistaken for conditions related to aging. And even when friends or family members recognize signs of addiction, they often discount the need for intervention or treatment. With an estimated three million older Americans struggling with alcohol and drug misuse and abuse, Aging and Addiction is a much-needed resource. The authors, both experts in the field of addiction treatment and intervention, provide a respectful, definitive guide for recognizing and addressing substance abuse among older adults. Key topics include: understanding the relationship between aging and addiction, finding help for a loved one, and recognizing the treatment needs of older adults. ... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182329 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:34:53 +0100 5182329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181898&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F31%2Fis-california-eliminating-mental-illness-treatment%2F According to DJ Jaffe, co-founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center which advocates for mandated outpatient treatment laws, California is “eliminating mental illness treatment.” This, of course, will be a surprise to the tens of thousands of mental health providers in California. Millions of Californians currently receive treatment for their mental disorders, both in the private and public sector. In fact, Californians wanted to make up for past deficiencies in funding their mental health services, so they passed a law in 2004 that set aside new money specifically to help fund treatment. Jaffe claims the money isn’t going to the programs it was intended to fund. Should we take his word for it? The easiest way to see whether Jaffe’s claims hold up are to look at the... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181898 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:13:20 +0100 5181898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181768&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0FaWo2NWsUM%2F By Sallie JamesLast week I blogged about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA) proposal to devote $20 billion of the Export-Import Bank’s funds to promoting manufacturing exports, and why that was a bad idea. But I realize that my recent call to “X Out the Ex-Im Bank” will be facing some very entrenched interests in Washington, and some well-funded lobby groups. The Bank has historically attracted bipartisan support, and a renewal of its charter sailed through the House Committee on Financial Services earlier this year. The Washington establishment loves this program. My friend and long-time Ex-Im Bank supporter Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics published a critique a few weeks ago of my analysis, and calls for a doubling of Ex-Im’s authorization cap (f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181768 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:03:53 +0100 5181768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169527&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiJw-R41i5MA%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’ve commented on the failure of Obamanomics, with special focus on how both banks and corporations are sitting on money because the investment climate is so grim. Not exactly flattering to the White House. Using Minneapolis Federal Reserve data, I’ve compared the current recovery with the expansion of the early 1980s. Once again, not good news for the Obama administration. And I’ve shared a couple of cartoons — here and here — that use humor to show the impact of bad public policy. But here’s a Bloomberg story that provides what may be the most damning evidence that the President’s big government agenda is a failure: U.S. regulators have asked some banks to take more deposits from large investors even if it’s unprofitable, and ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169527 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:09:27 +0100 5169527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139688&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDdqHQ1G_3zk%2F By Ted Galen CarpenterAfter weeks of very little movement either militarily or diplomatically in Libya, there are apparent developments on both fronts in recent days. Rebel forces, aided by NATO’s air support, finally appear to be advancing into western Libya and cutting off supply lines to Tripoli, the long-time stronghold of support for Muammar Qaddafi. And reports are swirling about secret negotiations that might provide a peaceful exit from the country for the aging dictator. Those developments underscore that U.S. and NATO officials urgently need to consider what strategy they intend to pursue if Qaddafi’s more than four-decade hold on power finally comes to an end.  That is more crucial for the leaders of the European members of the alliance, since Libya is located on Europe’s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139688 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:48:28 +0100 5139688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077657&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FikJxoPNKE-4%2F By Doug BandowSen. John McCain has exhibited personal courage, but his geopolitical judgment is uniformly awful.  Over the last 30 years there has been no war or potential war that he has opposed.  In 2008 he wanted to confront nuclear-armed Russia over its neighbor Georgia, which started their short and sharp conflict.  It would have been ironic had the Cold War ended peacefully, only to see Washington trigger a nuclear crisis in order to back Georgia as it attempted to prevent the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from doing what Kosovo did with U.S. military aid:  achieve self-determination (by seceding from Georgia). Now Senator McCain is banging the war drums in Libya.  But he seems to have trouble remembering who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Although n... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077657 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 12:49:40 +0100 5077657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069647&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FLn-_yPbE_50%2F (Editor’s Note: this timely new report illustrates the need for innovative brain fitness interventions focused on maintaining if not enhancing targeted cognitive functionality, such as driving safety or financial decision-making, leveraging lifelong neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve. What the report presents as inexorable, somewhat genetically pre-programmed decline, it is not.) BMO Retirement Institute Report: Boomers’ Ability to Make Financial Decisions Often Declines With Age (Market Watch): - “The BMO Retirement Institute released a report today which raises awareness of the potential impact on aging Canadians of declining cognitive abilities — often caused by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia — and describes how this decline can affect their ability to ma... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069647 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:33:51 +0100 5069647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992662&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaF-AQlQNX1Y%2F By Daniel J. MitchellFor both political and policy reasons, the left is desperately trying to maneuver Republicans into going along with a tax increase. And they are smart to make this their top goal. After all, it will be very difficult – if not impossible – to increase the burden of government spending without more revenue coming to Washington. But how to make this happen? President Obama is mostly arguing in favor of class-warfare tax increases, but that’s a non-serious gambit driven by 2012 political considerations. Moreover, there’s presumably zero chance that Republicans would surrender to higher tax rates on work, saving, and investment. The real threat is back-door hikes resulting from the elimination and/or reduction of so-called tax breaks. The big spenders on the left a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992662 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:12:15 +0100 4992662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934158&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fvideogames-as-behavioral-intervention-for-patients-with-chronic-diseases%2F2011.06.16 In recent posts on Web-based and mobile behavioral intervention programs, we reviewed evidence suggesting that social support, in one form or another, can improve participants’ adherence and engagement with the program. That didn’t always mean however, that participants achieved better outcomes as a result. In one study for example, an online community increased engagement with and utilization of a Web-based activity program, but it did not increase participants’ actual activity levels. Another study, slightly older than the ones reviewed above, did show that a Web-based program improved outcomes. In this case, the intervention was an online videogame known as Re-Mission. Since I haven’t touched previously on outcome studies for automated lifestyle intervention tools or videogames ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934158 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:00:43 +0100 4934158 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893390&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVbD6rCsA4DM%2F By Christopher PrebleBetter late than never. The House of Representatives today debated two different resolutions purportedly aimed at forcing the Obama administration to comply with its statutory and constitutional obligations to secure formal authorization for the ongoing military campaign in Libya. I say “purportedly” because it seems quite clear that the real intent of House Speaker John Boehner’s resolution was to lure away a sufficient number of Republicans who otherwise would have been inclined to vote for Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH) measure. Whereas the Kucinich resolution would have compelled the Obama administration to withdraw from all military operations in Libya within the next 15 days, Boehner’s resolution bars the administration from deploying... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893390 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:55:56 +0100 4893390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841743&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fresearch-bytes-what-works-for.html This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of alternative approaches for struggling readers ages 5–10 (US grades K-5): One-to-one tutoring, small-group tutorials, classroom instructional process approaches, and computer-assisted instruction. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or well-matched control groups, study duration of at least 12 weeks, and use of valid measures independent of treatments. A total of 97 studies met these criteria. The review concludes that one-to-one tutoring is very effective in improving reading performance. Tutoring models that focus on phonics obtain much better outcomes than others. Teachers are more effective than paraprofessionals and volunteers as tutors. Small-group, phonetic tutorials can be effective, but are not as effect... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841743 Wed, 18 May 2011 15:16:00 +0100 4841743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794816&cid=t_117236_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2011%2F This article reports on a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) assessing associations of structured exercise training regimens (aerobic, resistance, or both) and physical activity advice with or without dietary cointervention on change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes patients. The article concludes that structured exercise training that consists of aerobic exercise, resistance training, or both combined is associated with HbA1c reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes. Structured exercise training of more than 150 minutes per week is associated with greater HbA1c declines than that of 150 minutes or less per week. Physical activity advice is associated with lower HbA1c, but only when combined with dietary advice. Filed under: A... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794816 Fri, 06 May 2011 12:53:30 +0100 4794816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775490&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fimproving-intelligence-via-nutrient.html Double click on image to enlarge- iPost using BlogPress from my Kevin McGrew's iPad (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775490 Mon, 02 May 2011 18:44:00 +0100 4775490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762750&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoAmWM9B0Sjo%2F By George Scoville Gary Johnson: the anti-Trump. Interventionists to the left. Interventionists to the right. There ain’t no such thing as free… parking. Vermont has a new universal health care proposal on the table. Michael Cannon joined WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show (Washington, DC) yesterday to discuss the plan with a panel of other experts: Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762750 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:18:33 +0100 4762750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753888&cid=t_117236_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FZreb6XEhRCA%2F I think the thing that scared me the most about Kelly on last night’s episode of Relapse on A&E was that she looked so normal. Okay, well, maybe not normal, exactly. (Poor thing wears waaay too much makeup, tacky jewelry, and maybe applies too much self-tanner. Oh, and the color of her dyed blonde hair could electrically power a small city.) But to me, overall Kelly looked like a fit and healthy young woman who gets enough sleep and cares about her appearance. Turns out, she’s a serious meth addict who has already lost custody of her young daughter and is facing a year in jail. Now, I know perfectly well that, in life, appearances can be deceiving, but I guess I never really thought that cliché applied to hardcore drug users; I always naively thought that addicts were easy... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753888 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:00:04 +0100 4753888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753667&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_ey1ICD1Z5g%2F By Justin LoganThe Belgian painter René Magritte is famous in part for the painting pictured below. What’s surprising is how much Magritte can tell us about our war in Libya. To recap where we are in Libya, our military objective is to “protect civilians” in that country. Except there’s this paragraph opening the recent New York Times article on the war: WASHINGTON — NATO planners say the allies are stepping up attacks on palaces, headquarters, communications centers and other prominent institutions supporting the Libyan government, a shift of targets that is intended to weaken Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s grip on power and frustrate his forces in the field. The Times also runs these quotes from officials in charge of the war: “Now we are going after his rear e... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753667 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:06:14 +0100 4753667 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753670&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfVlc7wkjMWg%2F By Christopher PrebleAn interesting window into the politics of the Obama administration’s war in Libya may open this week, when Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) reintroduce a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate “that it is not in the vital interests of the United States to intervene militarily in Libya,” and calling on NATO member states and the Arab League, two parties who are directly threatened by the violence in Libya, to provide the necessary assets to the mission. Such resolutions almost never have a direct impact on the conduct of military operations. Hutchison-Manchin isn’t even the first attempt to constrain President Obama’s ability to wage war in Libya. A resolution offered by freshman Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and cosponsored by S... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753670 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:25:33 +0100 4753670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753672&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO98ldZBeOgI%2F By Gene HealyBack in 2002-03, when France opposed going to war in Iraq, conservatives spared no venom for the country some called “Our Oldest Enemy.” In retrospect, though, France was a better friend to us then than she’s been in our ongoing Libyan debacle. As the bombing began last month, the LA Times ran a piece showing that French bellicosity (yes) had been instrumental in dragging the US to war: Earlier in the week, French papers reported that when Sarkozy asked [Secretary of State] Clinton to come out more forcefully in favor of action in Libya, she replied, “There are difficulties” and refused to be drawn out further. “Frankly, we are completely puzzled,” a French diplomat told one of his European counterparts. “We are wondering if Liby... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753672 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:22:21 +0100 4753672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742648&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fchemical-dependency-and-the-family%2F Everything You Need to Know about Chemical Dependence – Addiction, Alcoholism AlcoholHeroinAmphetaminesTobaccoInhalantsCocaineMarijuanaMedications By Vernon E. Johnson, D.D., founder of the Johnson Institute. Former faculty member of Rutgers University Summer School for Alcohol StudiesDr. Johnson compiled the most popular Johnson Institute literature on chemical dependence for this complete family guide. It includes answers to these important questions:How can I recognize chemical dependence?How can I avoid it?How can my family solve the problems that come with it?How is chemical dependence different for men, women, teenagers, children, and the elderly?How can I prevent my child from using drugs?Designed for easy access, this practical guide to prevention, intervention, and recovery will... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742648 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:25:00 +0100 4742648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734341&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fresearch-bytes-ms-gs-numerical.html Denney, D. R., Gallagher, K. S., & Lynch, S. G. (2011). Deficits in Processing Speed in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Evidence from Explicit and Covert Measures. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 26(2), 110-119Cognitive slowing in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been documented by numerous studies employing explicitly timed measures in which speed of responding is an obvious focus of task performance. The present study examined information processing speed in MS patients and controls with a computerized battery of covertly timed as well as explicitly timed measures. The explicit measures were derived from two tests requiring rapid serial processing of visual stimuli, the Stroop Test and a Picture Naming Test. Covert measures were derived from the Rotated Figures Test, ... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734341 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:10:00 +0100 4734341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684273&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtiywFcd5qAI%2F By Christopher PrebleFor all the boldness of Rep. Paul Ryan’s proposal to reduce projected federal expenditures by $6 trillion, an initiative that I support, the Pentagon’s budget emerges essentially unscathed in Ryan’s plan. This is a mistake on both fiscal and strategic grounds. Significant cuts in military spending must be on the table as the nation struggles to close its fiscal gap without saddling individuals and businesses with burdensome taxes and future generations with debt. Such cuts will also force a reappraisal of our military’s roles and missions that is long overdue. The Pentagon’s base budget has nearly doubled during the past decade. Throw in the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus nuclear weapons spending in the Department of Energy, and a smattering ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684273 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:39:01 +0100 4684273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683659&cid=t_117236_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fonline-toolset-helps-young-children-and.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683659 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:07:00 +0100 4683659 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670091&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTpfGnYThmvk%2F By Richard L. GordonWhen Barack Obama emerged as a serious contender for the presidency, he offered a core menu of curing everything by increased federal intervention in health care, education, and energy. Whenever new problems arose that lessened the urgency of earlier concerns, Obama has crafted assertions that his original prescriptions will also resolve the new difficulties. In energy, this has involved extending his program to new, even more dubious projects. He also has a habit of incessantly repeating the same tired arguments in the vain hope that his skill at persuasion will win the day. His March 30, 2011 energy speech and accompanying Blueprint are typical. About the only differences between these and his June 15, 2010 speech on energy were more bad ideas. He added to the panic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670091 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:24:37 +0100 4670091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653317&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fet392xf2v9Y%2F By Malou InnocentTonight, to sell the illusion of America's "limited military action" in Libya's civil war, President Barack Obama insisted that America had a moral imperative to intervene militarily, implying he will do so wherever foreign leaders commit atrocities against their people. This latest mission in the name of "humanitarian imperialism" is extremely dangerous. In fact, if all goes well in Libya, it might be just as bad as if we fail. Consider, for instance, if I walked through a wall of fire and came out the other side unharmed. Although I came out safe and sound, my decision to walk through the wall of fire was still misinformed. My good outcome was simply one among a host of potentially terrible outcomes. After all, if I were to walk through that wall of fire again and... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653317 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:01:33 +0100 4653317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642572&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8JIumpKo5F8%2F By Christopher PrebleThere is ample recent evidence that the president has some difficulty with entrances and exits.  The linked video is a humorous example; the building conundrum in Libya is not. President Obama's decision to launch a series of military strikes against Libya raises a host of questions, many more than can be answered in his much-belated address to the American people tonight. At a minimum, the President must clarify the purpose and scope of the mission. He has declared that the sole object is to protect civilians from harm. Others in his administration, however, suggest that military operations will continue until Muammar Qaddafi leaves office. In fact, the two goals might be contradictory, as the need to protect civilians from violence could well extend long after Qadd... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642572 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:57:22 +0100 4642572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631467&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDa5dQRKJp3A%2F By Christopher PrebleDoyle McManus at the Los Angeles Times highlights the zigging and zagging of some leading Republican presidential contenders when it comes to war with Libya. Particularly noteworthy is Newt Gingrich. "Two weeks ago," McManus writes:  the former House speaker and possible presidential candidate denounced Obama for not intervening forcefully against Kadafi. "This is a moment to get rid of [Kadafi]," he urged. "Do it. Get it over with." Then Obama intervened in Libya. Was Gingrich pleased? "It is impossible to make sense of the standard for intervention in Libya except opportunism and news media publicity," Gingrich said Sunday. "Iran and North Korea are vastly bigger threats…. There are a lot of bad dictators doing bad things." That sounded like a flip-flop, so I aske... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631467 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:46:28 +0100 4631467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605808&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FylrVxaxm9Po%2F By Benjamin H. FriedmanI wrote a long post for the National Interest yesterday arguing against US participation in a no-fly zone over Libya. Here are highlights: Given the spectrum of ways that the United States can help Libya’s rebels, it’s odd that debate here centers on a no-fly zone, a form of military intervention that shows support for rebels without much helping them. No-fly zones commit us to winning wars but demonstrate our limited will to win them. That is why they are bad public policy. No-fly zones are best suited to helping ground forces that can defend themselves against an opponent once we suppress its airpower. Northern Iraq in the 1990s is arguably a successful example. But they do little to overthrow entrenched leaders or help lightly-armed rebels defeat heavier forc... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605808 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:48:08 +0100 4605808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4552149&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fyouth-alcohol-use-disorders%2F Diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in youthsDescriptionThis clinical guideline offers evidence-based advice on the diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in adults and in young people aged 10–17 years.This is one of three pieces of UK NICE guidance addressing alcohol-related problems and should be read along with:Alcohol-use disorders: preventing the development of hazardous and harmful drinking. NICE public health guidance 24 (2010) – public health guidance on the price, advertising and availability of alcohol, how best to detect alcohol misuse in and outside primary care, and brief interventions to manage it in these settings.Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis and clinical management of alcohol-re... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4552149 Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:18:00 +0100 4552149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536052&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrAKm_FwW5es%2F By Malou InnocentIn 2008, the election of President Barack Obama was widely touted as a repudiation of President George W. Bush’s messianic vision that “Our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity—men and women—to reach their full potential.” In the years following America’s failed democratic experiment in Iraq, many Americans began to spurn the Bush era’s presumptuous conviction that “We have the power to make the world we seek.” Liberals in particular roundly rejected the supposed “unyielding belief” that America is called to lead the cause of “rule of law” and “the equal administration of justice” around the world. Such pious declarations are in keeping with Bush’s neo-Wilsonian foreign policy.  Does it surprise you then, that all of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536052 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:36:22 +0100 4536052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532189&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbycUQRsUkmo%2F By Malou InnocentThe killing of four Americans by Somali pirates earlier this month has brought the troubled African country into the news once again. With the White House’s response to unrest in the Middle East continuing to evolve, it is instructive to note how the United States has tried and failed multiple times to bring order to Somalia. The policies Washington has pursued and the unintended consequences they have produced should serve as a valuable lesson to any intervention that might be considered in Libya or elsewhere in the region.  Over at The Skeptics, I outline a number of these lessons after briefly examining the history of U.S. intervention in Somalia: No doubt U.S. leaders had the best of intentions. But their noble attempts to rescue Somalia spawned a number of unintend... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532189 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:09:46 +0100 4532189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438938&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fresearch-byte-why-we-sometimes-struggle.html I think the following "in press" article is important. Why? Because I have been actively involved in reading research to better understand cognitive performance (working memory and executive attention in particular), the IQ Brain Clock (role of mental timing in human performance), and neuro-technology interventions (e.g., Interactive Metronome) that seem to improve cognitive efficiency. Across these different strands of research I have CONSTANTLY run across a number of common factors. In particular, I am constantly finding the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex (PFC) as being critical to cognitive efficiency (working memory and cognitive processing speed), which in turn impacts intellectual functioning, especially Gf or fluid reasoning. The same brain area is implicated in mental timing and I... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438938 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:50:00 +0100 4438938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4238014&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fresearch-byte-no-attention.html kanas, K. N., Colombo, J., & Wyss, N. (2010). Now, Pay Attention! The Effects of Instruction on Children's Attention. Journal of Cognition and Development, 11(4), 509-532AbstractWe investigated the effects of instructions to “stay on task” on preschoolers' attention and cognitive performance in the face of either incomprehensible or comprehensible distraction. Three- and 4-year-olds completed problem-solving tasks while a distracting event played continuously in the background under conditions of a) no instruction, b) moderate instruction, or c) frequent instruction to “stay on task.” Under conditions where an incomprehensible distractor was present, any amount of instruction reduced looking to the distracting event. Under conditions where a comprehensible distractor was present, h... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4238014 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:28:00 +0100 4238014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225220&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FX_lmTB5KmcU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this morning that the unemployment rate jumped to 9.8 percent last month. As you can see from the chart, the White House claimed that if we enacted the so-called stimulus, the unemployment rate today would be about 7 percent today. It’s never wise to over-interpret the meaning on a single month’s data, and it’s also a mistake to credit or blame any one policy for the economy’s performance. But it certainly does seem that the combination of bigger government and more intervention is not a recipe for growth. Maybe the President should reverse course and try free markets and smaller government. After the jump is a helpful six-minute tutorial. How’s that Stimulus Working, Mr. President? is a post fro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225220 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:31:49 +0100 4225220 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4220464&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FY6OqkALBvcs%2F What They Want: Motivation and Treatment Choice in Non-treatment-Seeking Substance AbusersAlthough a variety of therapies exist for the treatment of substance use disorders, little emphasis is placed on allowing individuals to choose their own treatment trajectories. Considering the preference of a person for the type of substance abuse treatment; he or she would want to be made to feel important and in allowing the person to feel autonomous, which may impact the overall motivation for substance abuse behavior change.The investigators assessed 51 country detention facility inmates recently arrested on drug-related or alcohol-related charges, examining the motivational factors and treatment preference when presented with 2 hypothetical treatments.The findings showed that the group was relat... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4220464 Thu, 25 Nov 2010 23:55:00 +0100 4220464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125063&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2F01%2Fthomas-bornemann-ed-d-on-the-georgia-mental-health-settlement%2F Two weeks ago, Georgia reached a historic settlement with the Federal Government regarding treatment in mental health care for Georgia’s most vulnerable residents — those who live in state hospitals or under the state’s auspices. Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D., the Director of the Carter Center Mental Health Program to talk to him about the settlement. John M. Grohol, Psy.D.: What are some of the highlights of that settlement? Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D. Well, we think this is a groundbreaker, and a lot of our colleagues from around the country that we talked to are also seeing it similarly. What we were able to do is to take a lawsuit that is essentially about inadequate care in institutional settings — in our state hospital... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125063 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:30:18 +0100 4125063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4065619&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fbuy-brisftsf%2F Brief-TSF manual; How to help an alcoholic find freedom from alcohol. You will be automatically redirected to a download page once payment is confirmed. US$9.95 – using Paypal, Visa or Mastercard —————————————————- Help set the ghosts of alcoholism free Buy Brief-TSF (Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com) Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4065619 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 05:53:50 +0100 4065619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4053487&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fwho-intervention-guide%2F Image via Wikipedia WHO simplifies treatment of mental and neurological disorders A new Intervention guide to facilitate the management of depression, alcohol use disorders, epilepsy and other common mental disorders in the primary health-care setting GENEVA — Millions of people with common, but untreated, mental, neurological and substance use disorders can now benefit from new simplified diagnosis and treatment guidelines released today by WHO. The guidelines are designed to facilitate the management of depression, alcohol use disorders, epilepsy and other common mental disorders in the primary health-care setting. The Intervention guide extends competence in diagnosis and management to non-mental health specialists including doctors, nurses and other health providers. These ev... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4053487 Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:49:00 +0100 4053487 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025781&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2Fca7eOYibSuM%2F DISCUSSION: Brief treatment addressing heavy drinking delivered by hepatitis clinicians with psychiatric-specialist follow-up was associated with abstinence or a significant reduction in alcohol consumption in over 50% of patients. Eric Dieperink, M.D., Samuel B. Ho, M.D., Sara Heit, M.S., R.N., C.N.S., Janet M. Durfee, R.N., M.S.N., APRN, Paul Thuras, Ph.D., and Mark L. Willenbring, M.D. Psychosomatics 51:149-156, March-April 2010 See also Hepatitis C – Does sexual transmission occur? Counselor Magazine’s Addiction Professional Reference Guide Disturbing Denial Improving Treatment Compliance Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Random ArticlesRecovering Alcoholics Effective in Helping OthersFamilies, mental health & alcohol abuseAlcohol Across the LifespanBrief-TSF DescriptionPrinci... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025781 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:04:14 +0100 4025781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3993878&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FupZ-3V7eDVA%2F By Malou InnocentThe New York Times reports that the book, Obama’s Wars, by longtime Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward that is scheduled for publication next week, depicts an administration completely at odds over the war in Afghanistan. According to Woodward, the president concluded from the start that “I have two years with the public on this.” He implored his advisers at one meeting, “I want an exit strategy,” and he set a withdrawal timetable because, “I can’t lose the whole Democratic Party.” It’s unfortunate that the policy debate over Afghanistan will be further spun into a left-vs.-right issue. After all, there are growing, if nascent, signs that some on the political right have reservations about our continued military involvem... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3993878 Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:07:26 +0100 3993878 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3961809&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM2IgRCfBeas%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI touched a raw nerve with my post about Fidel Castro admitting that the Cuban model is a failure. Matthew Yglesias and Brad DeLong both attacked me. DeLong’s post was nothing more than a link to the Yglesias post with a snarky comment about “why can’t we have better think tanks?” Yglesias, to his credit, tried to explain his objections. This leads Daniel Mitchell to post the following chart which he deems “a good illustration of the human cost of excessive government.”…this mostly illustrates the difficulty of having a rational conversation with Cato Institute employees about economic policy in the developed world. Cuba is poor, but it’s much richer than Somalia. Is Somalia’s poor performance an illustration of the human costs of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3961809 Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:50:15 +0100 3961809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3921084&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2Fqa4Z9k65vgY%2F as a Bridge to AA Brief Intervention Is Insufficient for Medical Inpatients With Unhealthy Drinking Data show that brief intervention reduces consumption and consequences among outpatients with unhealthy, but not dependent, alcohol use. To assess whether brief interventions work among medical inpatients with unhealthy drinking,* researchers randomized 341 of such patients to a 30-minute session of motivational counseling in the hospital or to usual care. Most subjects had alcohol dependence, were unemployed during the previous 3 months, used other drugs, and had substantial psychiatric symptoms. Almost half were hospitalized for an alcohol-related medical diagnosis. At 3 months among subjects with alcohol dependence, similar proportions of the intervention and control groups received alco... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3921084 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:52:08 +0100 3921084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3807429&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2F31%2Fhelp-prevent-suicide%2F “If I was going to kill myself, I wouldn’t tell you or anyone else.” As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who specializes in crisis intervention and Emergency Room Psychiatry, I hear that a lot. Over 30,000 Americans will take their own lives this year. More people die by suicide each year than homicide, yet suicides rarely make the nightly news. Sometimes it’s hard to know when someone you love and care about may be hurting inside and may need help. If your friends or family are thinking about killing themselves, and they don’t tell you, how can you help them? You can help because there are signs and clues before someone attempts to hurt or kill themselves, a prelude that you may be able to recognize after reading this information. Anyone can commit suicide. Suicides... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3807429 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:32:40 +0100 3807429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802367&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnSs3dwt1h2A%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe “appearance of impropriety” is often considered the Washington standard for corruption and misbehavior. With that in mind, alarm bells began ringing in my head when I read this Washington Times report about Jacob Lew, Obama’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget. A snippet: President Obama’s choice to be the government’s chief budget officer received a bonus of more than $900,000 from Citigroup Inc. last year — after the Wall Street firm for which he worked received a massive taxpayer bailout. The money was paid to Jacob Lew in January 2009, about two weeks before he joined the State Department as deputy secretary of state, according to a newly filed ethics form. The payout came on top of the already hefty $1.1 mi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802367 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:05:46 +0100 3802367 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798560&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-pap-smear-guidelines-the-right-care-or-rationed-care%2F2010.07.28 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently reiterated their position that Pap smears should be performed on healthy women starting at age 21. This is different from the past which recommended screening for cervical cancer at either three years after the time a woman became sexually active or age 21, whichever occurred first. How will the public respond to this change? Over the past year there have been plenty of announcements from the medical profession regarding to the appropriateness of PSA screening for prostate cancer and the timing of mammogram screening for breast cancer. Understandably, some people may view these changes in recommendations as the rationing of American healthcare. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Saving Mo... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798560 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3798560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798544&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXAwfQG0jKkQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellFree markets are characterized by voluntary exchange between buyers and sellers. Mapping that relationship is absurdly simply, as this image indicates. Indeed, the only reason I even bothered to include that image was for purposes of comparison. Here is a new flowchart prepared for the Joint Economic Committee showing the healthcare system under Obamacare. It’s worth noting, by the way, that the system already was a disaster even before Obamacare was enacted. In the health care sector, free markets are only allowed to operate in very rare cases, such as cosmetic surgery, laser eye surgery, and (for better or worse) abortion. The rest of the sector was heavily distorted by government intervention. Obamacare simply makes a bad situation worse. (Source: Cato-at-li... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798544 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:06:13 +0100 3798544 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816772&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FT__im5a7hoo%2F Are you married to an alcoholic husband? Are you at the point where you can hardly tolerate your marriage, but you don’t know what to do next? You are finally ready to set some firm boundaries with him. You have had enough of his drinking! You are so filled with anger, you could just scream. His alcohol problem has disrupted every part of your family life. If your next “moves” with him fail, you realize you need to do an alcoholic intervention or just give up on your marriage. Here are 5 examples of boundaries you can set. Start implementing several of these with your alcoholic husband right away. Steps to move forward include: Quit waiting on your alcoholic spouse to come home on time for dinner.You are setting yourself up for disappointment. If he doesn’t show up... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816772 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:06:35 +0100 3816772 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816773&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FFA3phQ3bQlc%2F Has your alcoholic husband recently quit drinking alcohol or gotten discharged from an alcohol treatment center and already experienced an alcohol relapse? Unfortunately, alcohol relapse is part of the disease. Alcoholism intervention may be necessary again. Start by talking to him (only when he is sober) about the tips I have listed below to help him stay clean and sober. It is beyond frustrating for spouses of alcoholics to witness their alcoholic husband have an alcohol relapse within 24 hours of being discharged from an alcohol treatment center. The feeling must be worse than being punched in the stomach to see all your new hopes for his sobriety dissolve in a bottle of beer. Here are 7 tips to help your alcoholic spouse stay clean and sober: This will be the best alcoholic interventio... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816773 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:03:09 +0100 3816773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816774&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FiKKUWVaTWEg%2F Do you have a alcoholic spouse? Have you tried to do an alcohol intervention for your alcoholic husband or alcoholic wife and they walked out? From my experience as a psychiatrist specializing in addiction, an alcohol intervention is DRAMATIC! Yesterday, I was involved in an alcohol intervention with a young man with a drinking problem and his parents. It was one hairy day!  Here is the story… An “alcoholic family”  brought their 28 year old for an evaluation several weeks ago (neither parent drinks). He had gone to rehab (addiction treatment center) in the last year, but relapsed. After rehab, he quit his antidepressant and started drinking again. He became suicidal. I prescribed a medication to prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, started him on an antidepressant, ... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816774 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:50:48 +0100 3816774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816777&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FJaThugbVrsg%2F Are you living with an alcoholic? If so, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (AA) is a very important part of any addiction intervention. However, not only are 12 step programs key for recovery, but  finding the right sponsor to guide your alcoholic husband or alcoholic wife through the 12 AA (alcoholics anonymous) steps is very important.  How can your alcoholic spouse find the right sponsor? Check out these 6 criteria: It’s an advantage for your alcoholic spouse to find a sponsor with a lot of sobriety under his/her belt. As a psychiatrist, my patients who have had a sponsor with over 5 years of sobriety seem to have the best experience in their alcoholic recovery. There are exceptions, however where a sponsor can be great who has only 2-3 years of sobriety. It is usually best for the... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816777 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:56:57 +0100 3816777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3742414&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2F7MSsjBrNyTc%2F Does your spouse have a drinking problem? If so, hopefully they are motivated to quit drinking. A drinking problem is a huge strain on marriage relationships. Hopefully, you have had an addiction intervention and your alcoholic spouse is already going to Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. AA is one of the 12 step programs that can be key to your alcoholic spouse’s recovery. Do they have an AA sponsor yet? What does this mean and why is it so important? An AA sponsor is basically a guide or a mentor that will help your alcoholic husband or alcoholic wife with their sobriety. Usually, the AA sponsor knows the ropes and has been clean and sober for a significant amount of time. In my opinion as a psychiatrist specializing in addiction, the best sponsors have had at least 5 years of sobriety ... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3742414 Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:04:24 +0100 3742414 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714453&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FrTo1Ry-HPrc%2F The typical alcoholic family that I encounter in my psychiatric practice is when there is an alcoholic wife or alcoholic husband who have children. Sometimes both parents are alcoholic which is a nightmare for their kids. Here are the most common characteristics of an alcoholic family: Chaotic and full of drama- For example: the alcoholic parent may pass out on the front lawn. There is a lot of yelling and screaming on a daily basis. An alcoholic spouse may become violent when drunk. The non-addict spouse or the children get blamed by the alcoholic parent, “I wouldn’t drink so much if you didn’t nag me”, “I wouldn’t drink so much if you were a better kid”… The alcoholic parent cannot be relied on. They do not always pick their children up ... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714453 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:56:03 +0100 3714453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3683749&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fresearch-bytes-6-20-2010-cognitive.html Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive Correlates of Bilingualism.  Review of Educational Research, 80(20), 207-245.A number of studies have documented the cognitive outcomes associated  with bilingualism. To gain a clear understanding of the extent  and diversity of these cognitive outcomes, the authors conducted  a meta-analysis of studies that examined the cognitive correlates  of bilingualism. Data from 63 studies (involving 6,022 participants) were extracted and analyzed following established protocols and procedures for conducting systematic reviews and guidelines for meta-analysis. Results indicate that bilingualism is reliably associated with several cognitive outcomes, i... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3683749 Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:04:00 +0100 3683749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3665960&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F970q7bQwFEs%2F By Daniel J. MitchellEven though the Obama Administration claimed that squandering $800 billion on so-called stimulus would  keep the joblessness rate below 8 percent, the unemployment rate today is almost 10 percent. There are many reasons for the economy’s tepid performance, including a larger burden of government spending and the dampening effect of future tax rate increases (tax rates will jump significantly on January 1, 2011, when the 2003 tax cuts expire). A closer look at the unemployment data, though , suggests that minimum wage laws also deserve a big share of the blame. In this Center for Freedom and Prosperity video, a former intern of mine (continuing a great tradition) explains that politicians destroyed jobs when they increased the minimum wage by more than 40 per... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3665960 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:30:11 +0100 3665960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3672047&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FFPkp6XSEoVo%2F Brief-TSF manual; How to help an alcoholic find freedom from alcohol. You will be automatically redirected to a download page once payment is confirmed. US$9.95 – using Paypal, Visa or Mastercard —————————————————- Help set the ghosts of alcoholism free Medical students’ knowledge about alcohol and drug problemsAlcohol Brief Intervention in Primary PracticeElderly Tend to Drink Too MuchAA and SpiritualityAA and Professional Treatment (Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com) Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3672047 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:13:27 +0100 3672047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648474&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFjc9Jk-ceC4%2F By Michael F. CannonOver at CongressDaily, Julie Rovner has a great piece on the difficulties involved in generating and using comparative-effectiveness research (read: evidence that can improve the quality and reduce the cost of medical care). Rovner cites a recent New England Journal of Medicine article about the obstacles to conducting CER, and a recent article from Health Affairs that finds consumers tend to trust their doctor’s judgment more than evidence-based treatment guidelines. In a paper titled, “A Better Way to Generate and Use Comparative-Effectiveness Research,” I explain how a string of government interventions — from state licensing of medical professionals and health insurance, to the tax preference for job-based health insurance, to Medicare and Me... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648474 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:27:03 +0100 3648474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641007&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FprM9rsYA3RU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere’s an article today in the Wall Street Journal showing how already-established companies and their union allies will use the coercive power of government to thwart competition. The article specifically discusses efforts by less competitive supermarkets to block new Wal-Mart stores. Not that Wal-Mart can complain too vociferously. After all, this is the company that endorsed a key provision of Obamacare in hopes its hurting lower-cost competitors. The moral of the story is that whenever big business and big government get in bed together, you can be sure the outcome almost always is bad for taxpayers and consumers. A grocery chain with nine stores in the area had hired Saint Consulting Group to secretly run the antidevelopment campaign. Saint is a specialis... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641007 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:48:50 +0100 3641007 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641330&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2F10-principles-of-addiction-and-recovery%2F Alcoholism and addiction have several common threads with reciprocal recovery principles. In their book, "Rethinking Substance Abuse,” editors William R. Miller and Kathleen M. Carroll to sum up what has been learned about the science of addiction. These are; Drug Use is Chosen Behavior in the Beginning – for experimenting, peer pressure or otherwise its chosen at first. Drug Problems Emerge Gradually – it takes time to become addicted. Once Well Established, Drug Problems Tend to Become Self-Perpetuating – once the brain alters it number of drug receptor cells drug craving demands more of the same. Motivation is Central to Prevention and Intervention – actively doing something toward change may be more important than the particular actions that are taken. Drug Us... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641330 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:07:00 +0100 3641330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3590504&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=39090&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fhelpalcoholicfamily%2FxITS%2F%7E3%2FPck5U97nb_w%2F Does your alcoholic husband or alcoholic wife refuse to acknowledge they have an alcohol problem and/or refuse to do anything about it? The tough part of this is their alcohol problem has become your biggest problem because it impacts your life and your children’s life daily. Your “alcoholic family” is falling apart. What if you have tried talking to your alcoholic spouse multiple times and despite many promises, nothing has changed? What can you do?It’s probably time to arrange an alcoholic intervention. A professional interventionist does the best job of coordinating and leading an intervention. An alcoholic intervention is complex. Usually family members and close friends of your alcoholic spouse are included. Every one involved writes a letter addressing what yo... Alcoholic Spouse Advanced Help blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3590504 Sat, 22 May 2010 22:08:43 +0100 3590504 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644844&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F13311294%2F1gv5rm%2Fneuromarketing%7EEmotional-TV-Programming-and-Ad-Effectiveness.htm In American Idol, Neuromarketing Style I noted that the Fox show I’d really like to see brain activity for was the ultra-intense drama 24. The combination of suspense, rapid-fire action, and occasional brutality would make for some interesting brain scans. But what of the ads that have to follow, say, a scene where [...] (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644844 Tue, 18 May 2010 12:22:14 +0100 3644844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3547011&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FSJ_WwCuyuAI%2F CONCLUSION: Medical students are knowledge-deficient around key learning objectives in addictions. The deficiencies were in areas of basic knowledge that could be learnt with little difficulty. Research report; Kahan M, Midmer D, Wilson L, Borsoi D. Medical students’ knowledge about alcohol and drug problems: results of the medical council of Canada examination. Subst Abus. 2006 Dec;27(4):1-7. Brief-TSF includes training, as well as other matters, in taking an alcohol inventory and knowledge of Alcoholics Anonymous. Alcohol Brief Intervention in Primary PracticeBuy Brief-TSFElderly Tend to Drink Too MuchLonger AA Attendance Predicts ChangeStricter Sobriety Standards for California Health Professionals (Source: Twelve Step Facilitation.com) Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3547011 Thu, 06 May 2010 07:38:38 +0100 3547011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3547014&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FnS1HbAGx0yg%2F Rinse dirty water Using Imagery and Storytelling to Educate Outpatients about 12-Step Programs and Improve Their Participation in Community-based Programs The longer a patient remains engaged in recovery activities the greater the success of long-term abstinence. Self-help community programs that use the 12-steps such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are known in the addictions field to contribute to sustained abstinence. Connecting patients to 12-step programs in early stages of recovery increases the chance of prolonged involvement. A nurse working in an outpatient substance abuse clinic developed a unique method to inform and educate patients about the 12-step process. A story and image metaphorically describe this journey. The cleaning of a vessel and subsequen... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3547014 Mon, 03 May 2010 07:16:47 +0100 3547014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522836&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FRecoveryIsSexycom%2F%7E3%2FGa9WPLHmU6U%2F Everything You Need to Know about Chemical Dependence – Addiction, Alcoholism Alcohol Heroin Amphetamines Tobacco Inhalants Cocaine Marijuana Medications By Vernon E. Johnson, D.D., founder of the Johnson Institute. Former faculty member of Rutgers University Summer School for Alcohol Studies Dr. Johnson compiled the most popular Johnson Institute literature on chemical dependence for this complete family guide. It includes answers to these important questions: How can I recognize chemical dependence? How can I avoid it? How can my family solve the problems that come with it? How is chemical dependence different for men, women, teenagers, children, and the elderly? How can I prevent my child from using drugs? Designed for easy access, this practical guide to prevention, interventi... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522836 Sat, 01 May 2010 13:25:00 +0100 3522836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522825&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FGfTJBtACRLc%2F The twelve-step recovery model of AA: a voluntary mutual help association Alcoholism treatment has evolved to mean professionalized, scientifically based rehabilitation. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is not a treatment method; it is far better understood as a Twelve-Step Recovery Program within a voluntary self-help/mutual aid organization of self-defined alcoholics. The Twelve-Step Recovery Model is elaborated in three sections, patterned on the AA logo (a triangle within a circle): The triangle’s legs represent recovery, service, and unity; The circle represents the reinforcing effect of the three legs upon each other as well as the “technology” of the sharing circle and the fellowship. The first leg of the triangle, recovery, refers to the journey of individuals to abstin... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522825 Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:49:56 +0100 3522825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3515339&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOzLA9q35N5o%2F By David BoazTim Carney has a blog post at the Examiner that’s worth quoting in full: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued its 2009 congressional scorecard, and once again, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Tex. — certainly one of the two most free-market politicians in Washington — gets the lowest score of any Republican. Paul was one of a handful of GOP lawmakers not to win the Chamber’s “Spirit of Enterprise Award.” He scored only a 67%, bucking the Chamber on five votes, including: Paul opposed the “Solar Technology Roadmap Act,” which boosted subsidies for unprofitable solar energy technology. Paul opposed the “Travel Promotion Act,” which subsidizes the tourism industry with a new fee on international visitors. Paul opposed the largest spending bill in history, Obama’s $... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3515339 Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:24:48 +0100 3515339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3499055&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3GnUg6nJ_qE%2F By David BoazRecently I wrote an article arguing that there never was a golden age of liberty and that in particular libertarians should not hail 19th-century America as a small-government paradise, at least not without grappling with the massive problem of slavery. Jacob Hornberger, author of an article that I criticized, responded in Reason, and I then responded here. Meanwhile, an interesting discussion took place on a email list of libertarian scholars, and I’m pleased to have gotten the permission of several participants to include some of that discussion here: Aeon J. Skoble: The ideals of freedom which led to the tangible improvements [Boaz] mentions – I’m concerned that those ideals are eroding/have eroded.  Example: say you have a robust theory of rights, but your soci... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3499055 Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:05:32 +0100 3499055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487038&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0dxkf7UyBvk%2F By David BoazThe March-April issue of Cato Policy Report featured a discussion among Timothy Carney, Uwe Reinhardt, and Ross Douthat of Carney’s book Obamanomics: How Barack Obama Is Bankrupting You and Enriching His Wall Street Friends, Corporate Lobbyists, and Union Bosses. The tenor of the discussion was reflected in the title, ”Big Business, Big Government, and Libertarian Populism.” Richard L. Gordon, a distinguished economist emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and a Cato adjunct scholar, took strong issue with all three commenters and sent us the following rebuttal, which we’re pleased to publish here: The March/April Cato Policy Report covered a January 2010 Cato Book Forum on Timothy P. Carney’s Obamanomics. Carney summarized his book and there we... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487038 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:40:51 +0100 3487038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3482935&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F19%2Fpolice-training-helps-treatment-of-mentally-ill%2F This article talks about a situation that happened in Utah where a man who apparently had bipolar disorder was Tasered twice, and died: The findings could add clout to a claim made in a federal lawsuit filed this month by the family of Brian Cardall, who died in June after a Hurricane police officer twice deployed a Taser on Cardall as he suffered a bipolar episode on a southern Utah highway. Filed by Cardall’s widow, children and parents, the lawsuit alleges Hurricane police declined to send officers to the training for at least eight years, which they claim played a role in Cardall’s death. The lawsuit says Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell failed to adequately train his officers by not sending them to attend the mental health training, in which dozens of police agencies ac... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3482935 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:14:14 +0100 3482935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3424994&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fflanagan-ppt-slides-re-theory-and.html The PPT slides for Dr. Dawn Flanagan's Wiley Webinar on theory and research-based approaches to SLD identification is now available for on-line viewing (and downloading) at IQ's Corner SlideShare home.  Thank you to Dr. Flanagan for making this available for others.Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, special education, LD, SLD, learning disabilities, Wiley Webinar, Flanagan Webinar, CHC, Cattell-Horn-Carroll, WJ III, SBV, KABC-II, DAS-II, WISC-IV, WAIS-IV, neuropsychology, school neuropsychology (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3424994 Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:54:00 +0100 3424994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3424836&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqLrVGKVqc9Y%2F By Tad DeHavenThe Federal Housing Administration is heading toward a taxpayer bailout, yet the president’s latest mortgage modification plan would further increase the agency’s exposure to risky mortgages. Mark Calabria calls it a “Backdoor Bank Bailout.” The administration’s plan would encourage borrowers who owe more than their house is worth to refinance into FHA-insured mortgages. Therefore, the risk of a future foreclosure on these mortgages would fall to the government and taxpayers instead of private lenders. A recent study from economists at New York University found that the FHA is underestimating its risk exposure. One of the problems is that the FHA isn’t properly accounting for the risk to underwater FHA mortgages that have been refinanced into new FHA mortgages. So... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3424836 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:00:51 +0100 3424836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408640&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Freductions-in-drinking-for-hep-c-patients%2F DISCUSSION: Brief treatment addressing heavy drinking delivered by hepatitis clinicians with psychiatric-specialist follow-up was associated with abstinence or a significant reduction in alcohol consumption in over 50% of patients. Eric Dieperink, M.D., Samuel B. Ho, M.D., Sara Heit, M.S., R.N., C.N.S., Janet M. Durfee, R.N., M.S.N., APRN, Paul Thuras, Ph.D., and Mark L. Willenbring, M.D. Psychosomatics 51:149-156, March-April 2010 See also Hepatitis C – Does sexual transmission occur? Counselor Magazine’s Addiction Professional Reference Guide Disturbing Denial Improving Treatment Compliance Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Related Reading: Share/SaveRandom ArticlesPatient Mental Illness in a Dental School ClinicComorbid anxiety or alcohol disorderAA and recovery from alc... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408640 Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:34:46 +0100 3408640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3385552&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation%2FwAgT%2F%7E3%2FFhqV0hG_0sk%2F Are Brief Alcohol Interventions Likely to be Effective in Routine Primary Care Practice? A number of meta-analyses have demonstrated the modest efficacy of brief interventions (BI) for nondependent unhealthy alcohol use in primary care settings. Whether this level of efficacy can be expected when BIs are delivered outside of research studies in not known. This systematic review identified 22 randomized trials including over 5800 patients. Investigators classified the trials on a spectrum from tightly controlled (efficacy design) to real world (effectiveness design) studies. The scale considered whether patients presented to health care with a range of conditions, whether practices delivered a full range of medical services, whether practitioners routinely worked in the service rather than ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3385552 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:39:20 +0100 3385552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3382954&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2010%2F03%2Fdissertation-dish-cognitive-training.html Cognitive and academic gains as a result of cognitive training by Luckey, Alicia J., Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2009 , 204 pages; AAT 3391981Abstract (Summary)The purpose of this study was to test Feuersetein's Structural Cognitive Modifiability model by evaluating changes in cognitive skills and reading scores after participation in one of two cognitive skills training programs. The Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities and Tests of Achievement, 3 rd editions were used as evaluation tools. Specific scores evaluated included General Intellectual Ability (GIA), Working Memory (MW), Sound Awareness (SA), and Word Attack (WA).Three groups, differentiated by parent report, were studied. These groups included; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, and students who we... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3382954 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:27:00 +0100 3382954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378462&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ2xIsk1ZHis%2F By Sallie JamesI suspect I may be falling into a publicity trap here, but nonetheless I am unable to resist blogging about an email I received this morning from the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University.  The email contained this teaser: How does cheap food contribute to global hunger?  GDAE’s Timothy A. Wise, in this recent article in Resurgence magazine, explains the contradictory nature of food and agriculture under globalization. He refers to globalization as “the cheapening of everything” and concludes: “Some things just shouldn’t be cheapened. The market is very good at establishing the value of many things but it is not a good substitute for human values. Societies need to determine their own human values, not let the market do it for them. Th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378462 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:14:46 +0100 3378462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3302656&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35818&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecoveryissexy.com%2Fcan-an-alcoholic-be-forced-into-treatment%2F You can be a bridge to recovery If an alcoholic is unwilling to get help, what can you do about it? This can be a challenge. An alcoholic can’t be forced to get help except under certain circumstances, such as a traffic violation or arrest that results in court-ordered treatment. But you don’t have to wait for someone to “hit rock bottom” to act. Many alcoholism treatment specialists suggest the following steps to help an alcoholic get treatment: Stop all “cover ups.” Family members often make excuses to others or try to protect the alcoholic from the results of his or her drinking. It is important to stop covering for the alcoholic so that he or she experiences the full consequences of drinking. Time your intervention. The best time to talk to the drink... Recovery Is Sexy.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3302656 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:18:49 +0100 3302656 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3175856&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FY_8npwptA5Q%2F By Christopher PrebleThe tragedy unfolding in Haiti has elicited an outpouring of sympathy, and it is hardly surprising that governments and NGOs from all over the globe are mobilizing resources to aid in recovery. Help is flowing to the shattered island: teams trained in rescue operations, emergency medical services, security personnel, and financial aid. This type of assistance will likely continue for some time. The U.S. military is also involved. Several Navy and Coast Guard vessels shipped out almost immediately. A few thousand Marines are helping to restore order, and more might soon be on the way. Such a ground presence makes sense, provided that the mission is carefully defined, and the long-term expectations are tempered by a dose of humility. The United States has, after all... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3175856 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:17:41 +0100 3175856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3171888&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGR6RfZoeMQk%2F By Julian SanchezYesterday’s bombshell announcement that Google is prepared to pull out of China rather than continuing to cooperate with government Web censorship was precipitated by a series of attacks on Google servers seeking information about the accounts of Chinese dissidents.  One thing that leaped out at me from the announcement was the claim that the breach “was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.” That piqued my interest because it’s precisely the kind of information that law enforcement is able to obtain via court order, and I was hard-pressed to think of other reasons they’d have segregated access to user account and header information.  And as M... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3171888 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:58:41 +0100 3171888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3126553&cid=t_117236_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F29%2Fnew-horizons-the-next-stage-of-mental-health-policy%2F Title: New Horizons: the next stage of mental health policy The Skinny: Summarises the key points of New Horizons, and focuses on what the strategy means for the NHS.  Key points: New Horizons establishes the Government’s vision for improving mental well-being and improving adult mental health services in England. No new targets for public services or commitments on future funding. Focus on public mental health initiatives include targeting young people, tackling stigma and improving employment and housing outcomes. Identifies need to improve quality and efficiency, and focus on recovery. The need to improve access for vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups, such as veterans, is key. Identifies need to improve transitions and early intervention. Publisher: NHS Confederation Size of Publi... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3126553 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:11:07 +0100 3126553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092819&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iqscorner.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fsmall-v-large-scale-gv-abilities.html Yet another study suggesting that we who tend to worship at the later of the CHC taxonomy (McGrew, 2005; McGrew, 2009) need to head the warnings of  the primarily architects of the model (Horn, Carroll) who warned us (in their writings) that the taxonomy is incomplete and will evolve over time.  Evidence for the correctness of this admonition is yet another study investigating small scale Gv (e.g., SR, Vz) and large-scale Gv (e.g., environmental navigation).  Large-scale Gv is missing from the current consensus CHC taxonomy.  The study below, which found that training on small-scale Gv did not generalize to changes in large-scale Gv in children (while prior research has suggested that the two are linked in adults), is the third study I've posted that has made this small v large-scale G... Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092819 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:59:00 +0100 3092819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089260&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6-Rob9CAzpQ%2F By Sallie JamesWell here’s an interesting, if three-weeks-old, story. Apparently the North Dakota Farm Bureau’s annual convention recently passed a policy calling for the elimination of all agricultural programs.  Reading between the lines of the original press release indicates that the call was part of a broad political position by the NDFB to move away from government intervention in many areas of the economy apart from farm programs, including cap-and-trade and health care: “As people in this country expect more from the government and less from themselves, our delegates are urging everyone, including farmers, to step away from the public trough and get back to the principles of individual responsibility and initiative,” said NDFB President Eric Aasmundstad…. ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089260 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:51:20 +0100 3089260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092938&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fanalysts-describe-the-aa-recovery-program-as-complex-implicitly-grounded-in-sound-psychological-principles-and-more-sophisticated-than-is-typically-understood%2F The twelve-step recovery model of AA: a voluntary mutual help association Alcoholism treatment has evolved to mean professionalized, scientifically based rehabilitation. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is not a treatment method; it is far better understood as a Twelve-Step Recovery Program within a voluntary self-help/mutual aid organization of self-defined alcoholics. The Twelve-Step Recovery Model is elaborated in three sections, patterned on the AA logo (a triangle within a circle): The triangle’s legs represent recovery, service, and unity; The circle represents the reinforcing effect of the three legs upon each other as well as the “technology” of the sharing circle and the fellowship. The first leg of the triangle, recovery, refers to the journey of individuals to abstin... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092938 Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:08:00 +0100 3092938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079585&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Fbrief-intervention%2F as a Bridge to AA Brief Intervention Is Insufficient for Medical Inpatients With Unhealthy Drinking Data show that brief intervention reduces consumption and consequences among outpatients with unhealthy, but not dependent, alcohol use. To assess whether brief interventions work among medical inpatients with unhealthy drinking,* researchers randomized 341 of such patients to a 30-minute session of motivational counseling in the hospital or to usual care. Most subjects had alcohol dependence, were unemployed during the previous 3 months, used other drugs, and had substantial psychiatric symptoms. Almost half were hospitalized for an alcohol-related medical diagnosis. At 3 months among subjects with alcohol dependence, similar proportions of the intervention and control groups received alco... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079585 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:29:00 +0100 3079585 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3071130&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNZ7UqXUUQ-o%2F By Tad DeHavenHuge deficit spending, a supposed stimulus bill, and financial bailouts by the Bush administration failed to stave off a deep recession. President Obama continued his predecessor’s policies with an even bigger stimulus, which helped push the deficit over the unimaginable trillion dollar mark. Prosperity hasn’t returned, but the president is persistent in his interventionist beliefs. In his speech yesterday, he told the country that we must “spend our way out of this recession.” While a dedicated segment of the intelligentsia continues to believe in simplistic Kindergarten Keynesianism, average Americans are increasingly leery. Businesses and entrepreneurs are hesitant to invest and hire because of the uncertainty surrounding the President’s agenda for higher... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3071130 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:04:42 +0100 3071130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2963077&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjM6R2iKJpcE%2F Drop the neocons: “Republicans should take this opportunity to return to their traditional noninterventionist roots and throw their neoconservative wing under the bus.” John Samples on the national impact of this week’s elections: “The evidence suggests the Obama administration might be on the same path that led the Clinton presidency to the election of 1994. But there is an important difference: In 1994, the public had some faith in the alternative to Clinton and the Democrats in Congress.” Afghan election analysis. A few things you might not know about Bhutan. Podcast: “Independents and the GOP Victories“ (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2963077 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:33:44 +0100 2963077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954513&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FhtDlMF9n9YQ%2F The following post – part of Disruptive Women’s Drug Adherence Series – is by Stacey Irving of McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions. Poor medication adherence affects all of us in healthcare — it’s a problem that our entire industry is trying to tackle. By many estimates, more than 50% of patients aren’t taking their medications as prescribed. And that’s a real problem: it’s adding $177 billion in additional healthcare costs and contributing to sicker patients. Reports associate lack of adherence with 10% of hospital visits and 40% of nursing home admissions. At McKesson, we’re trying a new approach. We’ve partnered with pharmaceutical manufacturers to sponsor programs that get community pharmacists involved in promoting medication adherence. Independent ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954513 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:59:02 +0100 2954513 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2954804&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwelvestepfacilitation.com%2Falcohol-brief-intervention-in-primary-practice%2F Are Brief Alcohol Interventions Likely to be Effective in Routine Primary Care Practice? A number of meta-analyses have demonstrated the modest efficacy of brief interventions (BI) for nondependent unhealthy alcohol use in primary care settings. Whether this level of efficacy can be expected when BIs are delivered outside of research studies in not known. This systematic review identified 22 randomized trials including over 5800 patients. Investigators classified the trials on a spectrum from tightly controlled (efficacy design) to real world (effectiveness design) studies. The scale considered whether patients presented to health care with a range of conditions, whether practices delivered a full range of medical services, whether practitioners routinely worked in the service rather than ... Twelve Step Facilitation.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2954804 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:43:52 +0100 2954804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2943764&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fc_AVM17vP68%2F The bad news this morning on the impact of both the federal stimulus and the Cash for Clunkers program should not come as a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the history of government intervention in the economy. New data that the jobs created by the stimulus have been overstated by thousands is compelling, but it’s really a secondary issue. The primary issue is that the government cannot “create” anything without hurting something else. To “create” jobs, the government must first extract wealth from the economy via taxation, or raise the money by issuing debt. Regardless of whether the burden is borne by present or future taxpayers, the result is the same: job creation and economic growth are inhibited. At the same time the government is taking und... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2943764 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:05:37 +0100 2943764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2939276&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fw2gvp0KAmyY%2F Yesterday, I offered the Fordham Foundation’s Andy Smarick an answer to a burning question: What is the proper federal role in education? It was a question prompted by repeatedly mixed signals coming from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about whether Washington will be a tough guy, coddler, or something in between when it comes to dealing with states and school districts.  And what was my answer? The proper federal role is no role, because the Constitution gives the feds no authority over American education. Not surprisingly, Smarick isn’t going for that. Unfortunately, his reasoning confirms my suspicions: Rather than offering a defense based even slightly on what the Constitution says, Smarick essentially asserts that the supreme law of the land is irrele... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2939276 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:35:55 +0100 2939276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2930963&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXPn383xWwRI%2F If you worry about the abuse of executive power and declining respect among elected officials for the rule of law, you should watch this eloquent illumination of what really went down in the Chrysler bankruptcy earlier this year. The speaker is Richard Mourdock, Treasurer of the state of Indiana. The setting is a Cato Institute policy forum on October 15 about the “sordid details of the Bush/Obama auto industry intervention.” As state treasurer, Mourdock is the person responsible for investment decisions concerning Indiana’s state employee pension funds, some of which owned a small share of Chrysler’s $6.9 billion in secured debt and some of which opposed the administration’s offer of $.29 on the dollar for that debt. Though these small secured holders were publicly casti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2930963 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:24:22 +0100 2930963 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2898926&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAJxasCjcgZI%2F The Hill’s Congress blog has a regular series that provides policy experts a forum to discuss current topics of the day. This week, the editors posed this question: President Obama has taken a very different approach to diplomacy than President Bush. Does the new approach serve or undermine long-term U.S. interests? My response: What “very different approach?” Sure, President Bush implicitly scorned diplomacy in favor of toughness, particularly in his first term. But he sought UN Security Council authorization for tougher measures against Iraq; a truly unilateral approach would have bombed first and asked questions later. By the same token, President Obama has staffed his administration with people, including chief diplomat Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who favore... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2898926 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:45:18 +0100 2898926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2886420&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcdkWpQ9AAWA%2F The two-decade-old conflict in Somalia has entered a new phase, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the United States. To best encourage peace in the devastated country, Washington needs a new strategy that takes into account hard-learned lessons from multiple failed U.S. interventions. In a new study, author David Axe argues that Washington should err on the side of nonintervention, and recommends: The Obama administration should work to build a regional framework for reconciliation, the rule of law, and economic development that acknowledges the unique risks of intervention in East Africa….Somalia’s best hope for peace is the moderate Islamic government that has emerged from the most recent rounds of fighting, despite early opposition from the United States... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2886420 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:49:18 +0100 2886420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842507&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnPRKpXKkfxM%2F Max Boot, fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and perhaps one of America’s most radical neo-imperialists, eight years ago this month likened the Afghan mission to British colonial rule: Afghanistan and other troubled lands today cry out for the sort of enlightened foreign administration once provided by self-confident Englishmen in jodhpurs and pith helmets…This was supposed to be ‘for the good of the natives,’ a phrase that once made progressives snort in derision, but may be taken more seriously after the left’s conversion (or, rather, reversion) in the 1990s to the cause of ‘humanitarian’ interventions. [emphasis mine] Just yesterday, this “stay-the-course” proponent said President Obama should fight on in Afghanistan and properly r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842507 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:55:25 +0100 2842507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842508&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkMfSm7R0Eug%2F A previous post by David Boaz poked fun at bureaucrats in Michigan for threatening a woman for the ostensible crime of keeping an eye on her neighbors’ kids without a government permit. English bureaucrats are equally clueless, badgering two women who take turns caring for each other’s kids. The common theme, of course, is that bureaucrats lack common sense — but the real lesson is that this is the inevitable consequence of government intervention (especially when politicians say they are “doing it for the children). The BBC reports: England’s Children’s Minister wants a review of the case of two police officers told they were breaking the law, caring for each other’s children. Ofsted said the arrangement contravened the Childcare Act because it la... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842508 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:39:48 +0100 2842508 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842722&cid=t_117236_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FXjC1eqND850%2F The Ann Arbor, Mich., P.L.A.Y. Project, an early intervention program that uses play therapy for autistic children, has been awarded a grant of $1.85 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to fund research on play-based intervention. Medical director Richard Solomon is conducting a study slated to run for three years on the program’s model, which addresses the shortage of qualified personnel for home visits by training parents. Photo courtesy of Andreanna (flickr.com) P.L.A.Y. Project is a direct outgrowth of Stanley Greenspan’s DIR/Floortime philosophy that emphasizes a framework that is Developmental, Individualized and Relationship-based.  By training parents to participate in their children’s therapy, yearly costs are less than $4,000 a year, compared w... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842722 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:03:57 +0100 2842722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823951&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR7XAGt9qZN4%2F President Obama’s address to the United Nations General Assembly this morning, and his chairing of the UN Security Council on Thursday, is a grand attempt to tell the world–after eight years of George W. Bush–that the United States will no longer go it alone. The president has a very difficult task, however, if he expects to invest the United Nations with renewed credibility. The UN is a weak and fractured institution, whose limited power and authority has been steadily undermined by a progression of U.S. presidents, both Democrats and Republicans. We should not forget that President Bill Clinton explicitly circumvented the UN Security Council when he chose to intervene militarily in Kosovo in 1999. Clinton’s evasion of the UNSC established a precedent for future mi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823951 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:29:12 +0100 2823951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2823967&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFuQ414OVrvQ%2F “Americans are more likely today than in the recent past to believe that government is taking on too much responsibility for solving the nation’s problems and is over-regulating business,” according to a new Gallup Poll. New Gallup data show that 57% of Americans say the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to businesses and individuals, and 45% say there is too much government regulation of business. Both reflect the highest such readings in more than a decade. Byron York of the Examiner notes: The last time the number of people who believe government is doing too much hit 57 percent was in October 1994, shortly before voters threw Democrats out of power in both the House and Senate. It continued to rise after that, hitting 60 percent in Decembe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2823967 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:18:43 +0100 2823967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2803885&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fe7l3bFEGGRA%2F This is from the Reagan administration’s deregulatory 1981 energy plan: “All Americans are involved in making energy policy. When individual choices are made with a maximum of personal understanding and a minimum of government restraints, the result is the most appropriate energy policy.” Many modern Republicans claim devotion to Ronald Reagan’s ideas, but they often seem to forget about the “minimum of government” thing. The following points are from Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell’s “More Energy, More Jobs” plan: “McDonnell was the chief sponsor of legislation creating the Virginia Hydrogen Energy Plan.” “McDonnell also supported grant programs for solar photovoltaic manufacturing, tax ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2803885 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:42:09 +0100 2803885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800365&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMdmVBHfM5-k%2F Will you allow a foreigner to comment on something that has intrigued her about this great country? All this hand-wringing and then censure (not to mention impeachment talk) over Rep. Joe Wilson’s admittedly rude intervention at President Obama’s speech last week has me baffled. Partly, it is because I come from a land that is governed by a parliamentary system, where Question Time is a much-loved institution. The offense (manufactured, perhaps) that Representative Wilson’s comment has caused is almost laughable when I think about some of the insults that have been hurled in both directions in Australia’s parliament. Here’s a collection of quotes from former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating just for starters (warning: offensive language). Here is a Br... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800365 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:46:47 +0100 2800365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2796403&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZ4mBZ9cJNkc%2F Matt Yglesias has a lot of smart things to say about the pervasive illiteracy plaguing the Afghan National Army. Upwards of 75 to 90 percent (according to varying estimates) of the ANA is illiterate. As Ted Galen Carpenter and I argue in our recent Cato white paper Escaping the Graveyard of Empires: A Strategy to Exit Afghanistan, this lack of basic education prevents many officers from filling out arrest reports, equipment and supply requests, and arguing before a judge or prosecutor. And as Marine 1st Lt. Justin Greico argues, “Paperwork, evidence, processing—they don’t know how to do it…You can’t get a policeman to take a statement if he can’t read and write.” Yglesias notes: This strikes me as an object lesson in the importance of realistic goal-setting. The Afghan Nation... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2796403 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:52:50 +0100 2796403 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2774610&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F50MF7VBRR9c%2F The reaction to President Obama’s planned speech to schoolchildren and the lesson plans sent out by the Dept. of Ed have sparked a firestorm of criticism and accusations about indoctrination, etc. Many, many people just can’t underst and what the big deal is. After all, it’s just a pep-talk about doing well in school and working hard. Sure, there was some language promoting Obama and political leaders. But who cares? It’s just a brief speech by the President after all. Just like Bush the Elder gave in gentler times (which got him a Congressional investigation). Many are asking the same questions about a number of issues theses days. Why the outrage over the deficit? Where were the complaints when Bush the Younger ran it up? Why so exercised about the government health option? Don�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2774610 Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:44:16 +0100 2774610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712076&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0B1Nrb4_wcM%2F Afghanistan is voting for president. Unfortunately, the outcome, even if a fair result, is unlikely to matter much. The war will continue. In 2008 President Barack Obama was seen as the anti-war candidate.  In fact, his reputation reflected his prescient opposition to the Iraq war, but he said little to suggest that he was out of sync with Washington’s interventionist consensus. We see his status quo foreign policies with his support for continued NATO expansion as well as maintaining American garrisons around the globe, including in South Korea and Japan.  But his escalation in Afghanistan most obviously demonstrates that he is a man of the interventionist left. He is now making it clear that Afghanistan is his war.  Reports Reuters: President Barack Obama will seek to shore... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712076 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:43:02 +0100 2712076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2702391&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=37835&url=http%3A%2F%2Fintelligencetesting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fbrain-rhythm-treatment-efficacy-can-we.html Brain rhythm. Got it? Need it? What is it? Can you improve it?Check out new IAP Research Report No. 9: The efficacy of rhythm-based (mental timing) treatments with subjects with a variety of clinical disorders: A brief review of theoretical, diagnostic, and treatment research (McGrew & Vega, 2009). at the IQ Brain Clock blog (sister blog to IQs Corner). (Source: Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner)) Intelligent Insights on Intelligence Theories and Tests (aka IQ's Corner) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2702391 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:12:00 +0100 2702391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678741&cid=t_117236_122_f&fid=35066&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneurodudes.com%2F2009%2F08%2F06%2Fiarpa-and-trust-detection%2F Neurodudes reader Jason M. sent me some information about a funding agency, IARPA, or Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, that is funding neuroscience-related research. I had never heard of IARPA before but it has existed since 2006 as something of an intelligence-focused DARPA. There upcoming funding deadline (Aug 21) is for projects on detecting trust signals between humans. Just last night, I watched the tense but amazing film The Hurt Locker (don’t let the name disuade you, see the phenomenal Metacritic rating), which is about a bomb disposal squad during the recent Iraq War. There is one particularly stirring scene with a suicide bomber who claims that he was forced to wear a vest with explosives and doesn’t want to go through with it. The difficulty in the l... neurodudes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678741 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:34:48 +0100 2678741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2605947&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcgC1HzVkYvo%2F The logic in Washington is ineluctable.  If government provides money, then it needs to impose regulations.  If the government takes ownership, then it must provide management. Bail out the banks.  Set bankers’ salaries.  Bail out the insurers.  Decide on corporate bonuses. And if the government takes over the automakers, then it should run the automakers.  That, of course, means deciding who can be dealers.  Reports the Washington Post: Now that the Obama administration has spent billions of dollars on the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, Congress is considering making its first major management decision at the automakers. Under legislation that has rapidly gained support, GM and Chrysler would have to reinstate more than 2,000 dealerships that the companies had sl... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2605947 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:03:27 +0100 2605947 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2598196&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmU7eq3nB1Us%2F Jeffrey A. Miron explains in Reason why a government bail-out of most everyone was neither the only option nor the best option: When people try to pin the blame for the financial crisis on the introduction of derivatives, or the increase in securitization, or the failure of ratings agencies, it’s important to remember that the magnitude of both boom and bust was increased exponentially because of the notion in the back of everyone’s mind that if things went badly, the government would bail us out. And in fact, that is what the federal government has done. But before critiquing this series of interventions, perhaps we should ask what the alternative was. Lots of people talk as if there was no option other than bailing out financial institutions. But you always have a choice. You may not... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2598196 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:42:45 +0100 2598196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2588180&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1T4tUy8qlJY%2F Time and again my colleagues and I have warned that the government’s takeover of GM would divorce business decisions from economics and wed them to politics ‘til death do they part. But I won’t gloat. Better to be right and satisfied that government is reasonably restrained than right and house hunting in Galt’s Gulch. We’ve already seen the president insist on the firing of a CEO, design and negotiate a bankruptcy plan devoid of much economic merit, impose preferences about which models to produce, and assure the diabolical, undeserving management of the UAW that GM won’t import small cars from its foreign plants to make space for its U.S.-produced budget-busting green vessels. Now Congress is attempting to legislate its way into the boardroom. Last month, GM/Obama announced p... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2588180 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:14:27 +0100 2588180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510271&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEX0rLLmjFCE%2F The Wall Street Journal’s Numbers Guy tackles the question: The Census Bureau estimates that the number of uninsured amounts to 45.7 million people. But the agency might be over-counting by millions due to faulty assumptions… Even though legislation won’t cover many of them, illegal immigrants are especially difficult to enumerate: Few raise their hands to be counted. Prof. [Jonathan] Gruber estimates they make up about 13% of the uninsured today, or nearly six million people of that 45 million number… Of the rest, some people are eligible for health insurance but don’t know it and many can afford it but don’t want it. About 43% of uninsured nonelderly adults have incomes greater than 2.5 times the poverty level, according to a report released Tuesday by... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510271 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:53:10 +0100 2510271 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458040&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUEOvs9puy04%2F Obama Speaks to the Muslim World In Cairo on Thursday, President Obama asked for a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world,” and spoke at some length on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Cato scholar Christopher Preble comments, “At times, it sounded like a state of the union address, with a litany of promises intended to appeal to particular interest groups. …That said, I thought the president hit the essential points without overpromising.” Preble goes on to say: He did not ignore that which divides the United States from the world at large, and many Muslims in particular, nor was he afraid to address squarely the lies and distortions — including the implication that 9/11 never happened, or was not... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458040 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:44:16 +0100 2458040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2452389&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFJQ8Fkf3NDQ%2F GM’s restructuring under Chapter 11 includes plans to sell off the Hummer, Saab, and Saturn brands. Well, just one day after GM’s bankruptcy filing, a Chinese firm has come forward with a $500 million offer to purchase Hummer. The prospective buyer is Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co Ltd, a manufacturing company in western China, which hopes to become an automaker. Not only is the Hummer offer the first bid for a GM asset in bankruptcy, but the bidder is foreign. Not only is the bidder foreign, but Chinese. And not only is the bidder Chinese, but the Hummer was first developed by the U.S. military. Thus, this is certain to be characterized as a national security matter, and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will have to review the proposal.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2452389 Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:23:14 +0100 2452389 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424018&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnnBnhd6InCg%2F No. But some members of Congress think they do. In the section of Tim Lee’s “Durable Internet” paper titled Customers Gone Wild: Why Ownership Doesn’t Mean Control, he showed how powerful online consumers are. They can surely decide whether media markets are forming up contrary to their interests, and they can punish providers who get on the wrong side of their demands. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424018 Wed, 20 May 2009 19:31:03 +0100 2424018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2406311&cid=t_117236_177_f&fid=38134&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbabybound.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F11%2Fdivine-intervention%2F The ball is rolling.  Realtor has been contacted.  Attorney is being consulted this afternoon.  Wheels are in motion.  I want to get this over with as quickly as possible and with as few scars as possible.  Mark made his bed and I am not at all satisfied with his bed making abilities so therefore I need to find someone who does hospital corners (ok no I don’t.  I hate hospital corners but you get the idea). In an effort not to give Mark any form of documentation that could bite me in the butt, I’m not going to discuss it here.  This blog has always been about me, for me, and to help me.  I’ll definitely have stuff to say, but dragging Mark through the dirt here while we’re in legal negotiations kinda seems like a bad idea. As f.ing horrible as all of this is... B a b y B o u n d blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2406311 Mon, 11 May 2009 20:34:53 +0100 2406311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389664&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4OyzVrtztoU%2F With the economy in a deep recession and policymakers turning to massive government intervention in an attempt to create jobs and bolster the financial system—it feels like the 1930s all over again.  Today’s new New Deal is rapidly unfolding, with the Obama administration and many lawmakers making it clear that any question of the success of FDR’s New Deal policies was resolved long ago: government intervention worked, and history bears repeating.   However, there are deep disagreements about the New Deal, and whether Roosevelt’s policies deepened the depression and delayed recovery.  Join us at the Cato Institute on June 1 to be a part of a highly informative half-day conference. Recognized national experts will discuss the economic and legal impact of the New Deal, and how i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389664 Tue, 05 May 2009 15:11:37 +0100 2389664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389668&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnFHK8W_2SR8%2F From Will Saletan at Slate: the tricky thing about official intervention is that once the state gets its foot in the door, you don’t necessarily get to dictate what it can and can’t do. He’s talking about how “For the usual incoherent combination of lefty reasons—not enough private discrimination in working conditions, too much private discrimination in family values–” he ”felt the urge to support regulation of the [surrogate motherhood] industry,” but then he read about Chinese police kicking in doors and forcing surrogate mothers to abort their babies, and realized that wasn’t “the kind of policing liberals have in mind when they call for tighter regulation of the fertility industry.” But the lesson is broader, of cours... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389668 Tue, 05 May 2009 12:35:12 +0100 2389668 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364918&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fwf8wiFjD-Cw%2F Oh, the war in Afghanistan. The more I learn, the more I’m convinced that we need to get out. As I described the situation to my Cato colleague Chris Preble, for lack of a better analogy, the Afghanistan–Pakistan border is like a balloon: pushing down on one side forces elements to move to another — it doesn’t eliminate the threat. The fate of Pakistan — a nuclear-armed Muslim-majority country plagued by a powerful jihadist insurgency — will matter more to regional and global stability than economic and political developments in Afghanistan. But if our attempts to stabilize Afghanistan destabilize Pakistan, where does that leave us? Like A.I.G., is Afghanistan too big to fail? No. President Obama earlier this month issued a wide-ranging strategic review of the war and ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364918 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:22:32 +0100 2364918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2341924&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35794&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCliffsideMalibu%2F%7E3%2FaGyeCZp-cn0%2F Every crisis intervention starts with the courage of the intervener. There’s nothing easy about the intervention process—let there be no mistake about that. On the contrary, an addiction intervention is invariably a traumatic event, one that tests the emotional resolve of individuals on both sides of the exchange. But that difficulty can’t be an excuse not to act. Crisis interventions change lives. In fact, crisis interventions save lives. In the end, no price could be too high to pay for that. The good news is that you don’t have to shoulder the crisis intervention burden all by yourself. The intervention services offered by exclusive treatment facilities can play a critical role in determining the ultimate outcome of the process. In fact, the help you get from a professional inte... Cliffside Malibu blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2341924 Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:41:49 +0100 2341924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2326529&cid=t_117236_135_f&fid=35274&url=http%3A%2F%2Facidrefluxweb.com%2F%3Fp%3D3318 There are a few things on Twitter I have discovered. One is that making an account for Hildy is a bit creepy. I had to though, since famous fictitious television characters get their own accounts, I figured the attention-seeking whore that my little miss hildy is, that I’d give into her constant whining demands. Well actually, it’s  more like little wimpers as if someone were jogging on a Cupie Doll, to be more exact. Trust me, you can only take so much of that shit, and then finally give in. I’m sure Hildy would be the perfect weapon of tourture for Guantanamo Bay. After years of silence those poor inmates would be spilling their guts in no time. She does have that kind of power, trust me. However, her typing skills really suck and I’m the one having to input her... acidrefluxweb.com blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2326529 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:43:37 +0100 2326529 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2280082&cid=t_117236_151_f&fid=35794&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCliffsideMalibu%2F%7E3%2FbEKZXbmOfFs%2F Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works. On the contrary, substance abuse victims are typically unable to see themselves as they really are, which means that only rarely will a substance abuser enroll in a drug treatment facility of his own accord. Instead, crisis and drug interventions typically play a crucial role in the healing process, as do the intervention services offered by exclusive rehab centers. There’s nothing easy about conducting an intervention. The process demands both sensitivity and restraint, and will try the will of even the most resolute participants. The good news is that the professional intervention services offered exclusive rehab centers can make all the difference in the world. In fact, the help you get from a trained intervention specialist may well mean ... Cliffside Malibu blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2280082 Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:55:35 +0100 2280082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266686&cid=t_117236_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F03%2F13%2F1-million-a-good-start-for-suicide-followup-services%2F Today, during a meeting of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Crisis Center Grantees, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will announce the award of six grants totaling more than $1 million over three years to support suicide prevention. The funds will help crisis centers throughout the country develop special follow up services for people at high risk of dying by suicide. Every month, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline run by SAMHSA takes 44,000 calls. While not every caller is at acute risk for suicide, past research has shown that large numbers of callers have significant histories of suicidal ideation and attempts. Crisis centers provide invaluable services and for those at imminent risk for suicide, emergency intervention is frequently... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266686 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:30:15 +0100 2266686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249689&cid=t_117236_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-092Wpa1N-c%2F People who support expanded federal intervention into areas such as energy and health care naively assume that policymakers can make economically rational and efficient decisions to allocate resources. They cannot, as a Washington Post story today on FutureGen illustrates. The story describes the political battle over the location of a $1.8 billion ”clean coal” plant. I don’t know where the most efficient place to site such a plant is, or  if such a plant makes any sense in the first place. But the story illustrates that as soon as such decisions are moved from the private sector to the political arena, millions of dollars are spent to lobby the decisionmakers, and members of Congress are hopelessly biased in favor of home-state spending regardless of what might be b... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249689 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:38:23 +0100 2249689